Call It Home
by putputters
Summary: Harry and Dean have been dating for quite some time, so Harry decides to pop the big question. No, not that question, the other one. It's one of the biggest fights of their relationship.
1. Brotherly Love

AN: I just wanted Harry and Dean to fight and then make up.

I don't usually upload by chapters when I haven't finished the story, so I hope I'll keep updating till it's done.

I'm not caught up to recent seasons of SPN. Sam and Dean are still the awkward-but-loving pair of brothers to me. Let's pretend that sending Luci back to his cage was their saving-the-world event and the world was relatively safe after that.  
As for Harry, everything is canon until after he beats Moldie-Butt. Obv. he didn't marry Ginny and have 3 kids. Instead, he moved in with Andromeda and Teddy at Grimmauld Place.

Certain characters are alive because I like them.

* * *

[Prologue.]

The bar is something out of an old movie. A grey, seemingly abandoned building that most people often drive past on the long road through the nowheres of Nebraska. It's certainly not the most colorful hangout scene, especially inside. But it wouldn't do to say that it doesn't have _any_ color, it's just that everything is _brown_. Varying shades of brown, but brown nonetheless, with the exception of the semi-colorful bottles of alcohol on the shelves. It's a bit bland, but the bar's something older people would call a "classic".

The owner often refers to it as a safehaven for a specific sort of people. Though lately, it seems to have attracted a new group of people who seem to be just as peculiar, if not more. The owner says she's completely fine with that however.

One late evening after the bar closes, she admits to a friend, "At first, I didn't trust 'em. But my husband always said that the Roadhouse is a place for anyone who needs it. They're alright folks. I shouldn't have been surprised by 'em though, seein' as my normal customers aren't so ordinary themselves." She gives a pointed, but amused look to the man sitting at the bar, drinking from a flask.

Her friend tugs his trucker cap down and raises a thick eyebrow. "Y'ever think you'd get a bunch of wand-waving folks in here? I sure as hell didn't. Not alive anyway."

Ellen, the owner, grins. "C'mon Bobby, lighten up. Be glad it's not the witchcraft we're used to seeing." She wipes down the counter and continues on, "I'm happy that they're different. I used to believe in it, you know: wonderful, magical things."

Bobby snorts. "That didn't last long then."

She chuckles. "'Course not. My first demon encounter broke my heart." She pauses and looks at Bobby, who's rubbing his beard. "But it's real, good magic. I feel like a girl again; all of the nice things from stories and fairy tales are actually _real_."

Ellen smiles softly. "I think it's a sign of hope for us, Bobby."

Bobby wheezes with laughter. "God knows we need it."

* * *

[On one particular day at Harvelle's Roadhouse...]

The crowd shares hushed whispers and keeps up unsubtle stares at the two men at opposite ends of the bar. The tension is palpable and puts everyone, except for a handful of people, on edge. A sense of danger flickers at the back of everyone's minds, but they know better than to cause a fuss in Ellen's bar. They watch from the corners of their eyes as both men try to aggressively ignore each other's presence.

Sitting at a table in the center of the room, a bushy-haired woman taps away on her keyboard, casually researching something on her laptop. She picks up a mug of steaming tea with one hand and mutters something before sipping the drink as if it wasn't scalding hot. She places the cup down and without looking away from her screen, she asks, "How long do you think it'll be before they stop fighting?"

The tall man who sits across the round table from her bores into his laptop screen with furrowed brows. He responds with a sound that isn't quite an answer. His computer seems to be giving him problems. A notification pops up with a blink and informs him that his laptop may be infected with several viruses. With a groan, he clicks the scan button and looks incredulously at his screen. Several links are listed as the sources of the viruses. Websites such as "PornPlace", "hothentai4u", and "xxxvideos" are included. They are all sites that the man's brother frequents.

He realizes that perhaps he should hide his laptop far, far away from his elder brother. And probably change his password.

The woman makes her way around the table after getting an unsatisfactory answer, but also because she's partially curious about what's got the man upset. She laughs at what's on his screen and pulls the laptop closer to her. "Here, I've got this, Sam. In the meantime, can you go help your brother fix whatever he's botched up with Harry? While I'd prefer that they work it out on their own time, the rest of the customers shouldn't have to deal with their couple's spat."

Sam doesn't object to her request; he's rather tired of staring at his screen for so long. He was going to read more folklore online, but the tales of sirens and minotaurs could wait. He gets up and offers the woman a passing shoulder squeeze before he walks over to the side of the room that his older brother has decided to brood about in. As he gets close, he calls out with a teasing tone, "What did you do this time?"

As Sam takes a seat on the barstool beside his brother, his sibling grumbles under his breath. The other man stares at his glass of whiskey as if it holds the answer to all of his problems. His eyes are a bit red, whether from crying or lack of sleep, Sam can't tell. He grins at the idea of his brother pining over Harry and asks mockingly, "What was that, Dean?"

Dean's head whips towards Sam and he narrows his green eyes. "None of your business, Sammy. Who put you up to this? We don't do-" He gestures between the two of them awkwardly, "-_feelings_."

Sam tilts his head towards the woman in the center of the room.

Dean makes a sound of disgust and shakes his head. "Goddamn nosy witch. Hermione needs to get a life and stay out of people's business if she knows what's good for her."

There's a shout from the mentioned witch, "How rude!"

There is no way Hermione could have heard Dean talking from her location unless she was doing her magicky listening-in spell that Dean abhors. Dean shares a look with Sam that says, "See what I mean?" Then he turns around and shouts back at her, "Then you'd better keep your ears to yourself! Don't make me come over there!"

Hermione makes an offended noise and looks to be getting annoyed enough to keep up the spell just to irk Dean. But the beep of another notification on Sam's laptop catches her attention and she reluctantly ends the spell with a flick of her wand to get back to work.

Sam shakes his head and chuckles.

Dean's turned back around to stare at his cup again. He swirls the whiskey around in the cup and downs the rest of it before he places it onto the counter with a clink. He pinches the bridge of his nose and runs a hand through his short brown hair. Dean drops his face onto the counter and groans.

Sam waits a moment before saying anything. He opens and closes his mouth wordlessly a few times before he just sits, staring at his brother awkwardly. He's about to just give up and let his brother mope, but two beer mugs are slammed onto the counter, the liquid sloshing and nearly spilling over the edges.

Sam sees a flash of anger on the newcomer's face and before he can react, the person smacks Dean's head with a rolled-up newspaper.

Dean jerks up and yells, "What the hell?!" He notices the familiar smirk and blonde hair and growls. "Jo, you do that again and I'll beat the crap out of you."

The blonde laughs and flicks her ponytail over her shoulder. She waggles a finger at Dean. "Don't tempt me; you're being irritating enough as it is. That was for Harry; he's really upset, Dean." She looks at him seriously and he frowns.

"Why do you guys always think it's _my_ fault? Maybe _Harry's_ the one who did something wrong!" He pouts, but if asked, he would deny it completely.

Sam and Jo look at each other, shrug, and turn back to Dean. Sam's the one who answers, "Because three out of five fights between you two are your fault because you don't want to talk about _feelings_, remember?"

Dean glares at his brother and Jo for a good ten seconds before he stares at the bottles of alcohol behind Jo. While he'd love to get wasted, he has a feeling that it'd make him feel worse than he already is. He takes a good mouthful of the beer Jo placed in front of him before shooing her away.

She rolls her eyes and leaves, taking the empty cup with her.

If he's going to talk about feelings, he's going to need another drink. He gulps down half of the mug before he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and turns to Sam.

Sam waits patiently, tapping his fingers against his knee. He doesn't want to seem impatient, but the current situation is quite awkward and he doesn't want to scare Dean into closing up again.

Dean sighs and rests his forehead against his palm. His eyes are closed as he says, "Harry wants me to move in with him."

Sam tilts back in surprise. Then he leans in close and whispers, "Did he really ask you to?"

Dean sputters. "_Noo_, he _didn't_ ask me to move in with him and that's why I'm _not_ here instead of with him." Satisfied with his sarcasm, he moves on to angrily whisper, "YES, Sammy! He asked me to be all happy-family with him and Teddy and Andy and I said _**no**_."

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam shoves his brother by the shoulder. "Aren't you basically living with him already? Why'd you say no?"

Dean shoves Sam back and in a burst of anger says, "Because I can't do that to him! To them! I can't do that to y-" He cuts himself off and the unsaid, "I can't do that to you, Sammy" comes across clearly.

Sam sighs and scoots his stool closer to his brother. He speaks in a quiet voice, "_Dean_. We've already saved the world, they're going to be okay. And if you've forgotten, Harry's saved the world too. He's more than capable of protecting himself, Teddy, and Andromeda from the small fries of the U.S.'s supernatural world."

Dean's resting his head on his arms on the counter. He looks up at Sam, who's sitting up straight. With an almost pleading look in his eyes, he asks, "What if some crazy shit happens again and someone gets hurt? Or worse, what if I get one of them killed just 'cause some monster had a grudge against me hunting its uncle or something?"

Sam manages not to laugh at how innocent his brother sounds. He's aware that he's the more mature sibling of the two of them, even though he's younger than Dean, but it's different now. While they still can't communicate all that well (Sam's a bit surprised by how well they're doing it now, but it just shows how upset Dean actually is), they're slightly more open to each other.

Sam clears his throat. "Harry's a wizard, he can handle it. Andromeda's a tough witch too, so it's not like they're helpless. Don't, uh..." He wants to say, "Don't worry about it" but he knows how much Dean worries. Dean's a worrying warrior who becomes overprotective about anyone he lets close. Instead he says, "Go talk to Harry about it."

There's another awkward silence. They both try to nonchalantly drink their beers as if they weren't talking about their problems like normal siblings would do.

In the silence, Sam recalls an earlier topic. He approaches it carefully. "Dean... When you said you couldn't do that to..." The floppy-haired brunet trails off and makes a strange hand gesture because he knows that they both know what he's talking about, but he doesn't want to admit that he's a bit of a weak spot for his brother. He knows that Dean always thinks of him first because of an extreme, sometimes foolish, sense of loyalty.

He continues, "But I'll be okay. We can still hunt together, Harry can always apparate you to and fro. You just wouldn't have to go on _every_ hunt. I can take Cas or Bobby with me if you're worried about stuff happening..." He sighs. "Alright, Dean. I'm just going to be blunt: go talk to Harry about this. I'm going to be fine, I can take care of myself. You deserve this after everything that's happened."

Dean turns to look at something and Sam doesn't even have to guess to know that his brother's looking across the room at Harry. Dean stares for a good minute and a half before he chugs his beer and stands up, Sam gets up as well.

The two fidget a bit before hugging each other briefly and letting go with a harsh slap to each other's back. Dean coughs, making the moment even more awkward than it already was.

Sam rolls his eyes and nudges him. "Just go already!"

His brother stumbles as he finally takes a step towards the other end of the room. He hesitates for a second and turns around. "Since we're doing all this sappy crap now: sorry I gave your computer a shit ton of viruses." He grins and turns back, _finally_ walking over to his boyfriend.

"You're never using it again!"

Dean laughs.


	2. Angels Do Care

[While Sam is talking to Dean, Castiel decides to intervene and has a chat with Harry.]

Harry stops his pacing and tries hard not to look across the room to see his boyfriend moping. For the past hour or so, he's been sneaking looks and feeling guilty about it. It's stupid, but he doesn't want to give in to Dean and then brush off the reason for their most recent fight (which the two usually do). It's a rather important reason after all. He forces himself to sit down at one of the tables, with his back turned to Dean.

(He and Hermione have already had a discussion about the issue; her advice was to just talk to Dean already and make up. But he must have had an awfully sad expression when he told her that it wasn't up to him because she pursed her lips tight and squeezed the breath out of him with a hug.

Hermione had wanted to be their mediator and tried to plan a meeting, but Harry told her that all he needed from her was her presence. So the two had come to Harvelle's Roadhouse to relax, until Dean arrived, Sam following, and Harry immediately found himself at the other end of the building.

Sam joined Hermione at the center table and the two got caught up in their work while Harry and Dean were visibly in a stew in their opposite corners.)

He places his cheek against the table, tracing shapes onto the surface. This distracts him for a good while, the texture of the unpolished wooden furniture reminds him of Andromeda's own set at their home in England.

12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry remembers how it looked before: dark, dank, and utterly inhospitable. The first thing he thinks of is the family line on the walls of one of the rooms, listing the portraits and names of every member of the House of Black. He recalls the first time Andromeda entered the house, having not been there for so many years after she left her family, and how she smiled at the burnt portrait where her name was.

www

_She'd chuckled and then spotted Sirius's burnt portrait as well. "My cousin was always a rebel, often a rowdy boy who could never keep his mouth shut when he'd had an opinion. The white sheep of the Black family." She turned to Harry and winked._

_Harry hesitated, but he asked, "And what about you, Andy? You were a white sheep as well, weren't you? Is that why you smile at the image of your photo burnt off of the wall?"_

_Andromeda's lips curled as she sat down in one of the armchairs. "I don't smile at the idea of our family hating us so. I smile at the idea that we managed to change our destinies. Our house was destined for doom because of our ancient traditions and propensity for dark magic." _

_Harry's eyebrows furrowed and he had to know, "But do you regret the price of changing fate? Maybe they_ _would've been alive if they gave in..." He got such a sad look in his eyes at the memories of all the good members of the family who met their demises far too soon. Who died fighting against the beliefs their family held. _

_"Harry! Do not give such a thing the time of your thoughts! I do not regret a single thing and I am sure Sirius would feel the same way." Andromeda felt her eyes tear up and a rock lodge itself into her throat. _

_She turned to look at the names of her daughter, Nymphadora, and her son-in-law, Remus. She imagined that if their pictures were there, the two would smile at her brightly. Her daughter, the metamorphmagus, would shift her lips into a duck's bill and would make quacking motions as if to cheer her mother up. Andromeda closed her eyes, tear drops falling from her lashes, as she laughed softly. She locked eyes with Harry and reached to cup his cheek. "My dear, we cannot wish that they were not dead. And you know just as well as I that they live on in our memories. They were happy with their choices to align themselves with something far better than the evil of our ancient traditions."_

_Harry's frown deepened as his own eyes started to overflow with tears. He bit his lower lip and clutched Andromeda's hand, desperate to try to hold himself together. He felt choked up, but managed to blurt out in a strained whisper, "How can we go on without them?"_

_Andromeda pulled him into a tight hug and through her own tears, she spoke, "We remember them everyday. We tell Teddy and all the children everything about them. We change this house into something that they would have enjoyed. A place that would have welcomed them and would not discriminate against anyone who is different. A place that they would have loved, Harry. That is how we do it."_

_The two cried on each other's shoulders for the longest time before they parted and set on doing what they planned. They'd rid the house of all elf heads, noisy portraits, and old furniture. Harry sent the items that Andromeda deemed of historical value into the Black vaults at Gringott's and sold everything else to a pawn shop in Knockturn Alley. While he, Teddy, and Andromeda went on a shopping spree to fill up the house, they had Kreacher and Winky (who was now happily bonded to Harry) repaint the place with brighter, more calming colors. Within a month, 12 Grimmauld Place became a comfortable, warm, and inviting environment. _

It finally became a home.

www

As Harry is coming out of his nostalgic trance, he notices a face far too close to his, the clearest blue eyes boring into his own. Harry immediately jumps back, almost falling out of his chair, and has to catch his breath from the scare. "Merlin!" His heart pounds so loud in his ears; he can't recall the last time he's been caught off guard.

The angel in front of him stands up and has a poker face on, but tilts his head in confusion. "No, I am Castiel. You know that I am an angel and not a wizard, Harry."

Harry laughs nervously. "Yes, Castiel, I know what you are. Just, please don't do that again." He covers his face with a hand and takes a few deep breaths to relax himself. When he finally calms down, he urges Castiel to sit down across from him. When the angel acquiesces, he asks, "So... What did you need me for?"

Castiel is quiet for a moment, obviously unsure how to go about relaying his thoughts to Harry. "Dean is upset," he says.

"...Yes?"

"Dean is upset and drinking his worries away." At Harry's blank expression, Castiel explains, "More than usual. When I asked Gabriel about what could be troubling Dean, he laughed and said that 'there may be trouble in paradise'. So I went to Heaven, but the angels told me that there were no troubles there.

"I stood there, arguing with another angel about possible dangers related to Dean being in Heaven. She said that there was no such thing, that Heaven was just fine. The angel would not believe me, but I told her that Gabriel would not lie to me. She had security escort me out." The normally inexpressive angel actually looks a bit annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation and lips pursed tightly together.

At this, Harry laughs. He pats Castiel's hand as he wipes tears of laughter from his eyes. "Castiel, Gabriel meant that Dean's having love troubles. Not that there was actual trouble in Heaven. It's one of those human sayings."

Castiel looks no less irked, though he now understands his misunderstanding. Instead, he asks, "What have you done to Dean? You promised me that you would not hurt him, have you broken that promise?"

Harry retrieves his hand back, and though he wants to turn around and look at Dean, he resists and looks straight at the angel. "Look, I promised no such thing. This is a relationship, of course one or both of us will be hurt when we get into fights. I promised you that I would treat him well, remember? I _have_ treated him well and he's done the same to me. I just... Perhaps I asked him a question too soon. He wasn't ready and we got into an argument about that.."

The angel leans across the table. "I don't understand. He could have just said he was not ready. You would have been okay with that?"

"Of course I would have been okay with that. I would _never_ force him to do something he wasn't ready for. He just... He reacted badly and stopped coming to visit me at my home. Dean kept avoiding my house and only stayed with me if we went out on a date elsewhere. And every time I tried to talk about it, he changed topics. That _prat_." Speaking of it automatically puts Harry into a bad mood. While he grumbles about it, Castiel looks to be in thought.

Harry is broken out of his grumbling when Castiel speaks up. "You know as well as I that Dean does not show his heart so easily. Perhaps he, like all great men, had doubts once you asked the question. He worries too much, but you know he is always looking out for someone when he does so. Have you spoken to him since the fight?"

At this, Harry looks a bit sheepish. "No. I told him that I refused to speak to him until he stopped being an arse." He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "At first, he didn't take it seriously, but once he realized I wasn't joking, he took it as a challenge."

A corner of Castiel's lips seems to curl the teeniest bit, quite comparable to the image of Mona Lisa's nearly invisible smile. "I warned you in the beginning that the brothers were well-known for being stubborn. Not unlike a certain wizarding world's hero."

Harry chokes out a laugh. "You say it like it's the funniest thing, but I'll have you know it's a pain in the arse when we fight."

"I am sure all will be well," the angel says confidently as he stands up. He's got a distant look on his face, as if he's seeing something that Harry doesn't.

"How do you figure that?"

There's a sparkle of amusement in his eyes as he just says, "Because Dean has never let pride or fear keep him away from those he loves."

And then Harry hears a forced cough behind him.

He turns in his chair to see his boyfriend a couple of feet away from him, looking almost shy, and Harry would coo at the image, but he's trying very hard to make sure

that Dean takes him seriously.

Dean nods at Castiel, giving him a look that says, "you wanna angel your ass out of here so I can talk to my boyfriend?"

Castiel stares blankly for a second, processing the nonverbal cue, then nods. "I have somewhere I need to be. Goodbye Dean. Harry." And he disappears in a blink of an eye.


	3. Can We Kiss & Make Up Now?

[Dean and Harry finally talk.]

Dean and Harry stare at each other for a moment before Harry greets him curtly. "Dean."

Dean groans as he stalks over to claim the seat that Castiel left. He plops himself onto the chair and pulls in close to the table, a bit closer to Harry. He shakes his head and sighs. "C'mon, don't be like that, Harry."

Harry's teeth clench and he turns his face.

Dean notices his mistake immediately and changes his condescending tone. "Hey," he says in a placating voice. He leans across the table and continues. "Hey, look at me. Harry."

Harry's eyes squeeze shut. There's no point in resisting, not if he wants to make up with Dean, but he finds even the slightest movement hard to make.

"Lemme see those gorgeous greens, Babe. You know I'd never find them anywhere else but on your sweet face. You wouldn't let me forget how those beauties look, would you?" It's a recurring joke between the two about how similar their eye colors are and Dean hopes that Harry will take the olive branch for what it is.

And Harry does. He turns, face a tad exasperated, but showing fondness nonetheless. As if he can't help it, a small smile appears on his face as he says, "You've got the same color, idiot."

Dean sighs in relief at Harry's willingness to give him a chance and smiles back. "Hey, we talked about this. My eyes are sparkling, light green jewels. Yours are the color of a standard green marker."

Harry snorts. "How romantic."

There's a bit of silence and the awkwardness in the air weighs heavily on them as they stare at each other. They're so focused on one another that they're unaware of the multitude of eyes watching them from the rest of the room. Hunters know to keep to themselves, but Winchester drama was too interesting to ignore.

However, the owner, who has just gotten back from a late lunch break, notices a need for privacy as she spots nearly all eyes on Harry and Dean. She immediately gives a shout from the entrance. "Boys, take it to the back office!" Ellen turns to the crowd and gives them a stern look. "Everyone had best keep their ears and eyes to themselves."

Harry and Dean turn pink from embarrassment as they finally realize that they've been having their own show, complete with audience. They each stand up abruptly and pull away from their seats.

Harry doesn't know where Ellen's office is, so he scrapes his teeth against his lip as he waits for Dean to lead the way. He didn't expect Dean to take his hand to lead him directly. As they weave past the tables and people, Harry shouts a thank you back to Ellen and shortly finds himself in a room with a large rug and many exotic, strange items and decorations.

Dean's still holding onto Harry's hand as he turns around to shut the door and lock it.

Now that they're alone, they reluctantly part and find themselves sitting next to each other on the couch, only a few inches apart.

Harry clears his throat as he watches Dean silently psych himself up.

"So... Harry..." Dean begins.

"...Yes?"

"I just wanted to- I want-" He cuts himself off, frustrated. Then he just whispers, "I need you to know why I said no."

Harry stiffens as he braces himself for the answer. "At the very least, that's what I deserve. For five weeks of avoidance towards my home." _What could have been our home._

Dean winces and sucks in a breath. He bites his lower lip and forces the words past his lips.

"I was scared."

Harry blinks. "What?"

Dean gets a bit worked up. "I said I was scared! I was scared, Harry. You know I don't have the safest kind of life! I couldn't force any of that shit on you guys!" _I didn't want to put you all in danger._

Harry is about to respond, but then the door comes crashing down and he groans. "Really, an interruption right _now_?!"

A Death Eater, dressed in black wizarding robes and a mask, steps through the door into the room and immediately points his wand at Harry, ignoring the muggle beside him. His voice is muffled, but he yells, "Harry Potter, surrender now!"

Harry throws his hands in the air and loudly bemoans the unfairness of his life and the fact that he'll never have a regular one without someone or something trying to kill him. All he wanted to do was finally make up with his boyfriend, but _noo_.

The Death Eater scoffs and is a second from casting a spell when he gets tackled by Dean. They crash into Ellen's desk, the evil wizard drops his wand, and the papers fly off of the furniture as the two struggle. The Death Eater gets slammed onto the desk and is pinned to it by Dean's fists at his collar.

Dean manages to take off the mask and one-handedly punches the guy in the face a couple of times. The Death Eater blinks dazedly, not expecting such physical violence, before Dean turns him around and smashes the front of his face against the desk, breaking the wizard's nose. As Dean lets go of the man, his body slowly slipping to the ground, he grimaces at the blood smeared on the wood. Ellen's going to be _pissed_. He turns to Harry, who's angrily pacing and still ranting, and shouts. "Babe, you wanna help me with this or are you just going to keep complaining?"

Harry pauses in his pacing and turns to glare at his boyfriend. "Give me a bloody moment, _Babe_! Unlike you, I can't switch emotions so easily!"

Dean scoffs. "We could go all night about how much our lives suck, but we've got stuff to do right now!" He waves his hand towards the Death Eater on the floor, who is still bleeding from his nose and slowly crawling his way over to his wand on the floor.

Harry whips his wand out and shouts, "_Stupefy_!" And before the now unconscious Death Eater can fall on his face from his crawling position, Harry binds his body with an _Incarcerous_ and walks over to the wand as the magical ropes tighten over the man. He picks up the wand and immediately breaks it in half before tossing it into the rubbish bin beside Ellen's desk. "I don't understand how you don't get emotional whiplash. You handle your emotions like you drive your car: like an absolute _madman_. Weren't we just having a nice, deep conversation?" He sighs.

He walks over to doorway, standing on top of the door, and looks over his shoulder at Dean. "Now are you coming or not? Because we _will_ be continuing the talk after this, Dean." He walks out before he can get an answer.

Dean stands in the middle of Ellen's office a bit in awe. It's been a while since he's seen Harry get so worked up about something.

It's _hot_.

He finds himself rushing out of the room after his boyfriend.

* * *

Harry can hear shouting and yelling as he jogs down the hall. As soon as he walks into the open room where everyone is, he's reminded of the war. People are everywhere, under and on top of tables, and engaged in battle. Unfortunately, even though the dark wizards are slightly outnumbered (there are about a dozen Death Eaters), they've got an advantage because they seem to have taken away all of the hunters' guns.

"Watch out!" Hermione shouts from across the room.

Harry tries to spot her in the crowd, but finds himself pulled down behind the bar counters, narrowly dodging a few spells flying his way. He looks up to see Ellen and Jo. "Oh, hello. Thank you."

They give him strained smiles. Jo's the one who crawls past them to pull Dean down when he finally makes his way into the room. He comes down with a shout and is about to freak out when he recognizes the group of people crouching.

He turns to Harry. "What happened? I thought the Death Eaters disbanded after you beat that Moldiebutt guy."

Harry rolls his eyes. "Voldemort. And I thought so too, but the aurors have always reminded me that some of them might still be out there and would love to get their hands on me. They're probably the few remaining members." Harry carefully rises up, only until his eyes can peek over the bar to get a grasp of the situation.

Everything's a mess, as expected. Everyone is fighting and it's rather interesting to see Death Eaters versus Hunters (and a few American wizards). Sam's the easiest to spot because of his height, he's in the middle of the room and following Hermione, helping to keep the Death Eaters off of her as she makes her way to... Ash's room? How strange. As she and Sam slip into his room, Harry wonders why she didn't just apparate, but then it occurs to him that perhaps there's an anti-apparition ward set over the building. He frowns and ducks back down behind the cover.

"So, got a plan?" Jo asks.

Dean inches his way to the end of the counter. "I say Harry and I just blast through and try to get as much of 'em down as possible. You and Ellen can sneak around and see if you can take 'em down stealthily." He looks to Harry for his opinion.

Harry nods slightly. These Death Eaters are the radical minority. They're the people who refused to be rehabilitated and serve their sentences for their crimes. The ones who scurried away and hid in the shadows, evading aurors and plotting against Harry and other innocents even after Voldemort's permanent demise. "If you can, take their wands away from them; they'll be nearly useless without them. We'll try to knock out as many people as possible and keep their attention off of you."

"You got it," Jo grins. Ellen smiles as she nods.

Harry and Dean are crouching right beside each other, but then Dean puts himself in front. At this, Harry growls and moves right beside him again.

"I know you want to protect me, but you know I can protect myself. You're the one who said that we should go on the offense because you know that I am _capable_." Harry elbows his boyfriend in the side.

Dean makes an oompf noise before glaring at Harry. They hold each other's gaze before he turns his face away. "Let's save this for later, alright?"

At the dismissal, Harry grips his wand and narrows his eyes at Dean. "Do you need proof that I can handle myself? Fine!" He stands up without hesitation and wandlessly casts a _Protego_ shield spell as he runs out into the open, the center of the room, and jumps onto the table where Sam and Hermione were seated before the current happenings.

"Harry! What the hell?!" Dean is red-faced in anger and wants to jump out after him, but a bunch of Death Eaters turn when they see the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Hello, Death Eaters! I'd say 'Welcome!' but you're all uninvited guests!" Harry shouts with a smile.

He manages to get everyone's attention, but no one laughs at his jibe. Except for one hunter in the corner who is immediately silenced when a Death Eater casts a _Stupefy_. Everyone watches as the hunter falls to the floor, unconscious, before turning their attention back to Harry.

Harry coughs to clear his throat and announces, "In a moment, I will drop my shielding spell and face you all at once. I will set up a ward around the perimeter of our battle area so we shan't be interrupted." He turns around to smile sweetly at Dean, who is absolutely seething. He's mouthing and gesturing for Harry to quit being an idiot, but Harry cheekily turns right back around, ignoring him.

"Goddamnit, Harry!" Dean, still crouching, slams his fist against the side of the bar counter.

The Death Eaters all shove past the hunters and few wizards who are in their way to Harry. They form a circle around the table that Harry stands on. They've all got their wands at the ready and tensions are high.

The hunters all grumble, but they back away and hide at the edges of the room, behind tables turned on their sides. The few wizards find themselves doing the same, unwilling to participate in what they think seems to be a death sentence for Harry.

Harry seems carefree as he waves his wand in a design to set up the wards mentioned. He doesn't seem to be worried by the fact that he's set himself up for battle against many. He's gotten quite good at warding because of practice with his own home (to protect himself from Death Eaters and reporters, both equally obnoxious). He likes to think of the process like making a rubber band ball; it takes patience to make all of the overlapping layers to create a solid, near-impenetrable creation. He sets a perimeter around them at a shape smaller than the open room, but with the same ratio, leaving just enough free space for the people at the edges of the room.

It's the longest waiting period of their lives. Like when a roller coaster is going up a hill. The wait is the hardest part because it builds up the anxiety before the inevitable drop.

And then the seconds are up and the shimmer of Harry's _Protego_ is fading. _The coaster is at its peak_. Once it's completely gone, all of the Death Eaters immediately shout curses, sending all sorts of colored jets of spells towards Harry. _The coaster is making its steep drop._

Harry immediately dives off of the table as he recasts the shielding spell and the spells bounce off the edges of the barely-formed shield. He rolls to soften the landing and pounces at one of the nearby Death Eaters, tackling him to the ground and stealing the other wizard's wand before running out behind the circle of Death Eaters.

The dark wizards curse profanities as he runs behind them and spells are flying everywhere as they panic. Fortunately for Harry, some of the spells hit some of their own and already, Harry's opposition is down by three wizards.

Harry disillusions himself to confuse them even more before whispering Stupefy at as many of the wizards he can. A couple of them fall to the ground and aren't revived by the other members, who are too caught in a rage about how they're being bested by the damned Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry tosses the wand he stole earlier away from the group and is ready to shout another spell when he brushes by a Death Eater who manages to catch him by the sleeve. He yelps as he's yanked towards the wizard and there's a wand aimed at him as his disillusionment wears off.

"I've got him! I've got the boy!" the wizard shouts in glee. He tightens his grip around Harry's wrist. "Now you shall pay for your acts against Lord Voldemort, you _stupid_ boy. I will skin you alive!"

Harry is only the slightest bit afraid and his mind blanks for a second when suddenly the wizard holding him is knocked to the side with a loud thwap.

Dean is standing in front of Harry, a chair leg in his hand, the end of which was used to knock out the Death Eater. His brows are furrowed. "You're lucky that Hermione broke your wards or your ass would be toast."

"Dean?" Harry smiles, but notices that Dean is still angry.

"And you said you don't need protection? This little threat here is nothing compared to what could happen if you were with me!" Dean looks about ready to give Harry the "you're better off without me" speech when a Death Eater appears behind him.

Harry points his wand over Dean's shoulder and casts another _Stupefy_.

Dean turns around and watches as the body crumples to the ground. His mouth is open, but he's not quite sure what to say.

"You were saying?" Harry asks with a smirk. "Besides, you would be moving to Grimmauld, which is in _England_. None of your American threats would happen there. If anything, _I'm_ the one who should be worried that you'll get hurt because of stunts from idiots like this." He looks around at the Death Eaters.

All around them, the Death Eaters and hunters are fighting again.

The two are suddenly thrown back by a blast aimed at their feet. They try to get their bearings, but the blast blew a chunk of the floor out and their eyes water from the resulting dust.

Harry coughs. "Maybe I spoke too soon."

Dean grimaces as he fans the air in front of his face with a hand. Two pairs of boots catch his eyes and his expression falls even more at the two Death Eaters who've got their wands trained at him and Harry.

"_Great_," the Dean and Harry drawl sarcastically from their laying positions on the floor.

But then the Death Eaters fall on top of them, unconscious. Harry groans loudly at the dead weight of the man laying atop him while Dean just grunts. Harry hates being the small guy.

Dean just shoves the guy off of him as Harry slithers from beneath the body above him.

As they dust themselves off, Hermione comes steam-rolling in, Sam following. She gets into Harry's personal space and nags like she's never nagged before. "_Harry James Potter_, how dare you do something so absolutely stupid! Are you mad?! _What am I saying_, you've _always_ been this damned reckless! You need to be more careful!" She jabs her wand into his gut and goes off on a wild rant.

While Harry's getting reamed by his best friend, Sam and Dean are throwing punches here and there, stopping wandless Death Eaters from reaching Harry.

Harry pulls his face away from Hermione's, but she's got him caught by the collar. He at first tries to calmly get her attention, but she's so angry that she ignores him. He shocks her out of her tirade with a loud, "Hermione!"

She pauses, but pouts. "What? Had enough, have you?"

"Later, 'Mione. We've got work to do." He gestures at the Death Eaters, losing against the hunters because their wands are gone. "How'd you take their wands away and what did you do with them? I thought all Death Eaters had some sort of charm that kept their wands from being magically ripped out of their hands?"

She rolls her eyes. "If you listened when I talked about research, you'd know that Ash and I were working on making a device that amplified magical power. I used the device, which, _mind you_, has _never_ been tested before, to cast an 'Accio Death Eater wands' right before I came here to yell at you. The amplified spell had enough power to override their charms. I vanished the wands to my office at the Ministry." She wiggles her fingers in front of his face just to irk him.

He scoffs and bats her hand away. He's about to say something to her when he sees Dean cornered by two wizards. He turns to her and simpers, "'Mione, I'd love to stay here and chat, but it looks like my boyfriend's in a bit of trouble."

She ducks down with a squeak as a stinging hex flies past her shoulder. "Right, right, get along, Mr. Potter."

"Take care, Mrs. Granger-Weasley!" He laughs as he dodges flying objects and minor wandless spells to get to Dean. It doesn't take him long reach his boyfriend and two castings of _Stupefy_ are out of his mouth before the Death Eaters even get to turn around. They drop onto the floor with loud thumps.

"Harry." Dean looks at him with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Dean." Harry grins with a mischievous look in his eyes.

They step towards each other, over the rubble and broken pieces of furniture, and stand with their bodies only inches apart. Harry looks up at Dean and Dean calmly stares down at him.

Harry's the one who pulls Dean in for a kiss. He cups Dean's face with his hands and tries to get his tongue as far down his throat as possible. Dean seems to have absolutely no problems with that at all and groans as Harry scrapes his teeth over his tongue.

The two part after a few more minutes of heavily making out, but they hold each other close, arms wrapped around each other.

Dean's head rests atop Harry's, his chin flattening some of Harry's unruly hair. "So. You seem happy. Fighting gives one hell of an adrenaline kick. Got you all excited, didn't it?" He chuckles.

"Mm. Dean, I don't care."

"Uhh..."

He lightly headbutts Dean's chin. "I meant I don't care if you come to live with me or not."

Dean pulls back enough to look at Harry's face. He stares down at his boyfriend with a blank expression, a bit hurt, but not really wanting to acknowledge it.

Harry rolls his eyes. "Okay, it's not that I don't care. _I do_. But not enough to be mad at you forever about it. I'd like for it to happen someday, whenever you're ready. But I still want an apology from you for being an arsehole about it."

Dean snorts. He pulls Harry close again, their faces mere centimeters away, and whispers in his ear, "I'm sorry for being an ass, Harry. You forgive me?"

"Duh," he says and gives him a peck on the lips.

"Hey, if you guys are done with making up with _excessive_ amounts of PDA, we could use some help cleaning up with... well, everything." Sam looks around at all the damage. He's glad they've got wizards to help or Ellen would be spending quite a bit of money to fix everything up.

"Shut up, Sammy. We'll get to it when we get to it." Dean retorts as Sam walks away, shaking his head.

Harry parts from Dean, having to pry himself away from his huggy boyfriend who he knows would honestly rather skip the cleaning and just get to the _good_ part of making up. "Dean, it'll be real quick and then we can go home." His eyes widen at the last words and he's about to say something to reassure Dean that he meant what he said earlier, when-

"Alright. Let's get to it." Dean starts putting all the matching pieces of furniture together in separate piles so that the wizards could do their magicky fix-it spells to put them back together.

Harry looks at his boyfriend suspiciously. "That's it?"

Dean turns around and nonchalantly says, "Yup."

"No awkward coughing and clarification that it's _my_ home?"

"No."

"Are you alright, Dean?" Harry gets in his space and feels his forehead with the back of his hand. "You're not sick are you?"

Dean flicks Harry's forehead with a finger. "I'm _fine_. I'm just... not deathly scared of the idea of moving in with you anymore. We can protect ourselves and each other. And the weirdest thing is that now I feel better because I know that even if we screw up, we have friends to help us out. I dunno, maybe I just needed something like this to happen to remind me of that."

Harry pauses for a moment, but then he gets a giddy smile on and squeezes Dean with a hug. Dean returns it with the same amount of enthusiasm.

"_Boys_! Good to see you've made up, but if you stall cleaning up any longer, I _will_ come over there and separate you two," Ellen shouts from the bar.

"Yes, Ma'am," they respond with boyish smiles.

* * *

** AN: **

**Sorry it's been a while.**

**The part before the line break was easy-peazy. The action after it was almost complete, except it had a lot of plotholes, so I was uber frustrated trying to figure everything out. This chapter was just me pushing through to get this scene down and to the image that I wanted to portray it. It's a bit rough around the edges, but if you don't think on it too much, it's fine. This is the best it's going to get lol. **

**I haven't even started the last part. The last part will be the epilogue and then done!**


	4. Epilogue: It's Called Home

[Family life, two years later.]

Sunlight begins to pour into the room from the window. The cream-colored walls and the neutral-toned furniture seem to glow softly because of the yellow light. There's a large king bed in the middle of the room matching the furniture and upholstery colors, varying shades of earth-tones (brown and green). Across one side of the bed is a large shelf mostly filled with books and in the center spot is a framed photo with a moving picture.

In the photo is an older woman sitting in a chair with a young boy in her lap. Her hair is dark brown and done up into a tight bun. She wears a gold necklace and a modest, navy blue dress that reaches to her ankles. The boy has messy teal hair, the bangs of which are spiked up. He wears a short-sleeved white dress shirt with a red bowtie and black trousers that go to mid-shin. The boy blows a raspberry, his tongue elongating to below his chin like a frog's, towards the camera before giggling as the woman gives him a fond, but scolding look.

Behind the chair are two men, both in suits. One man wears a grey pinstriped suit with a white dress shirt paired with a silver-blue tie. His light brown hair is gently styled away from his face. The other wears a navy suit with a white dress shirt, the collar of which is unbuttoned. His normally unruly black hair has been tamed slightly with some wax and hairspray to a neater look with a defined right part in his hair. Their arms are wrapped around each other's waist and they look at each other lovingly before pressing their lips together and turning to the camera, smiling.

This is the picture that Harry wakes up to everyday, today being no exception. He awakens slowly and blinks for a bit before his eyes (which have been fixed since after his 7th year) can focus on the image.

Harry smiles and chews on his lower lip when muscular arms wrap around his waist. He's naked under the duvet, same as Dean, whose warm body is curled up behind him. He bares his neck so that Dean, currently trailing soft kisses against his neck, can comfortably hook his chin over Harry's shoulder. He reaches back to touch Dean's hip and his hand stays there, his fingers gently rubbing Dean's skin.

"Morning," Dean says against his cheek.

Harry turns his head to kiss him. "Good morning."

They share a slow kiss, tongues pressing against each other firmly and taking the time to re-explore each other's mouth. The kiss lingers, but when they finally part, they do with soft sighs of content. They lay in bed, simply relaxing against each other and caressing each other's body with their hands.

"You think the kid's up?" Dean asks, his fingers tracing circles around Harry's naval.

Harry shivers comfortably and he links his fingers with Dean's. "If he is, I'm sure Andromeda has him occupied."

Dean smirks. "Does that mean we've got some time to ourselves?" He drags his hand, Harry's attached, down Harry's lower abdomen and towards his crotch.

Harry groans. "Dean, we can't. We've got a Weasley party to attend soon."

"C'mon, Harry, it'll only be for a little bit." He lightly runs the pads of his fingers along Harry's length. Then he makes a loose fist and softly pumps it.

Harry feels his face warm as he pulls his hand from Dean's and moves to straddle him, pinning Dean's hands to the bed. He can feel Dean's hard-on from his position on top and refrains from rubbing against him unashamedly. He stares at Dean, who looks smug, for a brief moment before pecking Dean's lips and rolling off the bed to avoid Dean's grabby hands. Harry goes into the joined restroom.

"No hanky panky?" Dean has a disappointed face, lips bordering on pouting.

"We've got things to do, Mr. Winchester." He turns the shower on and waits for it to warm up. "But feel free to join me whenever you're done pouting, love." Immediately, he hears rustling and feet scrambling towards the restroom and laughs.

* * *

"Dad, are you done yet?" a semi high-pitched voice chirps from the kitchen. Teddy sits at the table, his spoon clinking against the bowl as he eats cereal.

"About so, pup. You sleep well?" Harry stops to place a kiss on the top of Teddy's head as he makes his way to the counter. He doesn't even reach for the cereal box like he normally would. Instead, he grabs a large mug and makes some tea with the already-heated kettle on the stove, courtesy of Andromeda. "Where's your grandmother?"

"Yes," Teddy says, drawling the "e". "Nan's in the yard, picking some flowers for Granny Molly."

Harry hums in response.

When Dean makes his way downstairs and into the kitchen, he stops to ruffle Teddy's hair. "Sup, kiddo. You excited for today? It's not everyday that you turn 9."

Teddy nods fervently. "I want lots of presents. Especially from Uncle George and Fred! They give the coolest gifts and since they picked me up from school last week, everyone at school tells me how lucky it is that they're my uncles-" He goes off on a long tangent about how amazing the twins are for exploding things and playing pranks.

At Harry's snort, Dean laughs. "Slow down, big guy. You're gonna hurt yourself." Then he pulls out a birthday card-sized envelope and slaps it onto the table. "Does that mean you don't want mine and Harry's gift to you?"

Teddy eyes the envelope with slight curiosity. "I do.." When he reaches for it, Dean slides it back and puts it into his jacket pocket.

"This is only part of the gift. You'll get the whole package at the party. Now hurry and eat your breakfast, runt." Dean ruffles his hair again before going to the counter to lean against it beside Harry.

Harry hands him a cup of coffee and sips his own tea. "It's a good thing we've learned to go to a Weasley party on an empty stomach. I don't understand how Teddy can eat breakfast beforehand. As soon as we get there, Molly's going to stuff a whole chicken down everyone's throats."

"And don't forget the dessert," Dean adds.

Andromeda walks into the kitchen from the side door and has a small bouquet of flowers in hand. She tuts. "You know she means well." She cuts the stems diagonally and then she goes to prepare some newspaper to wrap them up in.

"Of course, but there's only so much room in my stomach, Andy," Harry says with a teasing smile.

Andromeda laughs. "Oh, hush. I'm well aware that the three of you can eat double your weight in meals. Especially when it comes to your favorite desserts."

* * *

"Can we show him _now_?" Dean asks. In the background, children scream happily as they play and adults chatter. Underneath the table, covered by the tablecloth, is a cage. The puppy inside, despite the loud noises, is sleeping undisturbed.

"Impatient, aren't we?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "C'mon Harry, now's the best time! Imagine the look on his face; he'll be so excited to swimming in dog slobber! We won't have a happier kid around!"

Harry chuckles. "You just want to one-up your brother because Teddy's absorbed in the book about wolves that Sam got him."

_(Several weeks ago, when Andromeda took Teddy with her to visit a friend, they'd met a bunch of puppies. It turned out that Andy's friend's pug had given birth to a litter of puppies and he wanted to give some away. Andromeda had watched Teddy become enraptured with all of the adorable furballs, especially one silly, black-furred puppy. _

_At the end of the day, once they got back home and she'd put Teddy to sleep, she told Harry and Dean about the puppy and they'd agreed on getting it for Teddy's birthday. Harry and Dean would buy the puppy from her friend and Andromeda would buy the starter necessities for the puppy.)_

Dean gives him a look.

Harry raises his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright." He turns to find Teddy showing the Weasley kids his book and shouts, "Teddy! Come here for a moment, pup!"

Teddy shouts back an okay and closes his book, carefully tucking it between his arm and his body. When he scuttles over, he tilts his head adorably, a questioning look in his eyes. "Yes, Dad?"

Harry looks to Dean, who's pulling the cage out from beneath the table.

Dean places the cage on the table and opens it, reaching in to pick up the sleeping puppy. At Teddy's soft gasp of surprise, Dean smiles. As he pets the sleeping puppy, he explains to Teddy, "Well buddy, we heard that you had a special connection with one of the little guys when you went to visit Andy's friend." He hands the puppy to Teddy, who has placed down his book to gather the small puppy in his own tiny arms. "Happy birthday, Teddy."

Teddy shows great consideration for his new companion when his lip wobbles as if he's going to cry out in awe and thank his parents, but he doesn't and simply stares at the pug in amazement and disbelief. After a while, he gently places the puppy back in the cage and nearly coos as it yawns and rolls over to lay on its other side. He whispers, "Really?"

To which Dean and Harry chuckle at and confirm that yes, Teddy's got a puppy and Andromeda paid for a month's worth of food and other doggy necessities. For example, a collar. Harry hands the shiny new collar, blue with a golden circle in the front, to his godson.

Teddy holds the collar in his hand, turning it over to really examine it. Then he looks up at Harry and Dean and throws himself at them to give them a squeezing hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou," he mumbles into their shirts.

They return the hug for a long moment before Andromeda comes around with a knowing grin on her face. "So you couldn't wait to give it, could you, Dean?"

He laughs. "You know me, Andy." The pug seems to be waking up and Dean mentions so..

Harry watches as Teddy detaches himself and goes to latch onto Andromeda's side, watching closely as the puppy wakes itself up. "What are you going to name him?"

The black pug yawns and stretches before laying flat on his stomach, his pink tongue sticking out. He blinks his large eyes, staring into space.

"Moony," Teddy says.

The pug squeaks and licks its nose before resting its face on its paws dopily.

Andromeda laughs. "And _this_ is Remus's namesake. Nymphadora would've never let that go if she were here."

"I'm sure that Sirius would've loved Teddy's choice of name as well," Harry comments with a big grin. He wraps an arm around Dean's waist and gets a kiss to the top of his head. They watch as Andromeda helps Teddy carry the cage over to his cousins. He's excitedly showing off his "coolest present ever"; the group of kids agree, ooh-ing and ah-ing curiously (from across the room, George and Fred take mock offense and chase after the children, threatening them with tickles).

Harry's never had such a strong feeling about how _this_ is how everything is supposed to be. He watches as his mother figure and his son are smiling and happy, how they're surrounded by loved ones. Added to that is how he's got the most infuriating, wonderful man firmly beside him. This is all he's ever wanted. Harry's happy.

Dean leans against Harry and asks, "You good, Babe?"

Harry smiles. "Yeah. I am."

* * *

AN:

It's finally done. Short epilogue because I want to invest all my time into a new fic I'm writing, it's a Jojen Reed/Bran Stark one, modern-ish AU. It's gonna be good. Look forward to it.


End file.
